Backpacking Meal: Vegan Tortilla Soup Recipe

Fresh Off the Grid

Vegan tortilla soup

Loaded with lots of different layers of flavors, this recipe will really put your dehydrator to work. We start off by dehydrating black beans, fire-roasted tomatoes, a small onion, roasted corn, jalapenos, and fresh cilantro. You can't overdry any of these ingredients, so its best to just let it run overnight. The jalapenos will spice up the air in the beginning, so make sure the dehydrator is in a well-ventilated location. Once everything is fully dehydrated, divide all the ingredients in half and combine to create individual portions.

For each portion, add a bouillon cube, chili powder, garlic powder, and cumin. In a separate container, pack along store-bought tortilla chips or you can toast your own by cutting up a corn tortilla and frying the strips in a little bit of oil.

Vegetables for vegan tortilla soup after dehydrating

At camp, place all of your soup mix and spices into a pot and add 12 ounces of water. Bring to a boil and let simmer until all the dehydrated ingredients are tender and the bouillon cube has been fully dissolved. Add a little bit of olive oil to the top, sprinkle some tortilla chips on top, and serve immediately.

This tortilla soup is pretty simple to make at home with a dehydrator, but it feels super impressive to eat when you're out on the trail.


Backpacking Vegan Tortilla Soup

Yield: 2 servings

Dehydrating time: 8-12 hours

Vegan tortilla soup ready to eat

Ingredients

  • 1 15-ounce can black beans
  • 1 15-ounce can fire-roasted tomatoes
  • 1 cup frozen roasted corn
  • 1 small onion
  • 2 tablespoons fresh cilantro
  • 1 jalapeno

Per serving:

  • 1 vegetable bouillon cube
  • 1/4 teaspoon chili powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon cumin
  • Tortilla chips
  • Oil, packed in a squeeze bottle

Directions

Step 1

Dice the onion, de-seed and chop the jalapeno, and drain the black beans. Place beans, tomatoes, corn, onion, cilantro, and jalapeno on dehydrator trays. Keep everything in thin and even layers. Dehydrate at 135°F for 8 to 12 hours, until everything has dried.

Step 2

Divide the dried ingredients into 2 servings, adding 1 vegetable bouillon cube, 1/4 teaspoon chili powder, 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder, and 1/4 teaspoon cumin per serving. Pack tortilla chips and oil separately.

Step 3

At camp, add the soup ingredients into a pot with 12 ounces of water. Simmer 5 to 10 minutes, until the beans and corn are soft, adding more water if needed. Stir in a tablespoon of oil and top with the tortilla chips.